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Not too long ago I discovered a great new appetizer, the baked goat cheese marinara , where the goat cheese is baked in a marinara sauce and it is then served with toasted baguette slices for dipping and scooping. While I was enjoying the baked goat cheese marinara I thought that this would also probably work well with a salsa ranchera swapped in for the marinara sauce. When I look at the the recipes for a marinara sauce and salsa ranchera they are pretty similar save for the use of the chili peppers so I figured that it should work out pretty well. For the salsa ranchera I went with a simple version with some roasted serrano and poblano peppers. The baked goat cheese salsa was excellent! The creamy and tangy goat cheese went really well with the fiery hot salsa. I like the way that the goat cheese retains it shape only to crumble into melted cheesy goodness when touched. Although I am pretty sure that the baked goat cheese salsa would go great served with toasted baguette, I went with something that seemed a little more appropriate, tortilla chips.

Since the baked goat cheese salsa had so few ingredients I wanted to make sure that the salsa ranchera was a tasty one. Although I like the ease of the jalapeno salsa ranchera I wanted to add a bit more flavour and I did so by using a variety of chili peppers including serranos and poblanos and by roasting them. Had tomatoes been in season, I would have roasted some fresh tomatoes as well but since they are not I went with canned tomatoes this time which is perfectly acceptable. I finished the salsa renchera off with some fresh chopped cilantro and a splash of lime for some freshness. I pureed the salsa in a food processor to ensure that it was nice and smooth for the baked goat cheese salsa.

Baked Goat Cheese Salsa

Servings: 4

ingredients

2/3 cup salsa (see below)

4 ounces goat cheese (sliced)

directions

Place the salsa in a baking dish and top with the goat cheese.

Broil until the goat cheese is soft and golden brown, about 4-6 minutes.

Now, THAT's something you aren't going to run into at every party! For my next one, instead of just mixing pesto into goat cheese and putting it out in a bowl, I'll try this (if I can manage not to eat it before the guests arrive)!

Fay Royle: I don't know about a secret, just lots of practice and looking at other others photos. One tip, have lots of light. I normally use a lamp or off camera flash as I do not get much in the way of natural light in my place.

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.